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Department of Economics

Newsletter Vol. 8-9 | January-April 2020

English Summary  

We publish this issue of our Department's newsletter just over two months after the outbreak of Covid-19 in Italy and in the midst of a global economic crisis that promises to be the most serious since the end of the Second World War. Albeit to a lesser extent than in other contexts, in the last few weeks our teaching, research, and third mission activities have also slowed down and, in some cases, suffered an abrupt halt, due to the health emergency.

As members of this Department, we feel the need and duty to help clarify the economic consequences of the pandemic and to suggest the most effective policies to mitigate its negative effects, in particular on income, production, and employment. From the next issue of this newsletter, therefore, we will offer ideas and reflections on these topics, aimed at a wider audience but not less scientifically rigorous, based on the collection and interpretation of the best data available, essential to understand what has already happened and try to draw the best possible future.

Head of Department, Giorgio Bellettini

VISITING FELLOWS

 http://www.dse.unibo.it/en/department/visiting-professors

 

PRIZES AND AWARDS

  • Giuseppe Cavaliere has completed the three-year period 2017-2019 as President of The Italian Society of Econometrics (SIdE).
  • Giuseppe Cavaliere has been appointed as Associate Editor of the Journal of Econometrics.
  • Luca Lambertini has been appointed as Head of the Centre Alma Mater Research Institute on Global Challenges and Climate Change (Alma Climate). Twenty-Six Departments of the Alma Mater belong to the Centre, which has the task of coordinating initiatives aimed broadly to contribute to the achievement of the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) of the United Nations and of the objectives required by the Paris agreement, in line with the results of Katowice COP24. Therefore, the Centre’s activities are developed around the three University missions. Specifically, the Centre will receive and promote research projects focused on environmental topics in any area of research, and the PhD Programme “Future earth, climate change and societal challenges". Moreover, it will coordinate its activities with those of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), which is currently located in Reading, but is about to move to Bologna. The third mission will be equally relevant, not only at the local level, but also at the national level or further.
  • Luca Lambertini has been appointed as a member of the council of the Institute of Advanced Studies of the University of Bologna.
  • Giovanni Prarolo has been appointed as Research Fellow of the Center for European Policy Research (CEPR).
  • Vladimir Zabolotskiy (PhD student) is awarded the prize “Germain Dondelinger” for the best master’s thesis, which has been assigned by the “Amis de l’Université du Luxembourg”.

 

MEDIA COVERAGE  

 

PARTICIPATION TO EXTERNAL EVENTS

  • 14-15 November 2019: Anastasios Xepapadeas has participated as keynote speaker to the international workshop on the topic “Energy and environmental policies: new macro-financial implications”, hosted by the Politehnica University of Timisoara (Romania), giving a lecture entitled “Climate Change: Financial Risks and Monetary Policy”. Link to the program:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1p7MfgOYC66mBXRAJN3mLPdzj-68qCRkC/view.
  • 5 December 2019: Andrea Mantovani has participated as invited speaker to a workshop on the topic “Antitrust and Regulation for Online platforms: Challenges and perspectives”, organized by AGCOM and hosted by Roma Tre University. 
  • 11-13 December 2019: Maria Bigoni has participated as invited speaker to the 16th edition of the AISC Conference “The complexity of cognition: Multidisciplinary approaches to human behavior”, hosted by Roma Tre University, giving a plenary lecture entitled “The cooperation dilemma through the lenses of experimental economics”. Link to the program: http://www.aisc-net.org/home/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/AISC2019_programme_04-12-2019.pdf.
  • 13-14 December 2019: Anastasios Xepapadeas has participated as keynote speaker to a workshop on the topic “Space and Growth: Theoretical and Empirical Models”, hosted by the University of Pisa, giving a lecture entitled “Space and Final Frontier: Growth Theory and Climate Policy”. Link to the program: https://www.ec.unipi.it/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Programme_Space_Growth.pdf.
  • 25 January 2020: Alessandro Tavoni has participated as keynote speaker to the conference entitled “Capire il cambiamento climatico. La scienza indaga; la politica risponde?”, hosted by the Liceo Paolina Secco Suardo – Auditorium EUROPA. Link to the program: https://www.suardo.it/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Programma-Conferenza-25_1_20.pdf.
  • 11 February 2020: Aura Reggiani, in the framework of her visiting period in Cambridge, as Bologna-Clare Hall Visiting Fellow, gave a Clare Hall Colloqium Invited Lecture on “Network Vulnerability, Complexity, and Resilience: The Role of Connectivity”.

 

COLLABORATIONS AND OTHER EXTERNAL ACTIVITIES IN LINE WITH THE THIRD MISSION

  • 23 January 2020: Alessandra Bonoli (Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental, and Materials Engineering) and Luca Lambertini were invited to meet with students of secondary schools to address topics on climate change within the program entitled “Crossing Europe 2019-2020: per conoscere, comunicare e partecipare in Europa”, organized by Europe Direct (Emilia-Romagna Region).
  • 27-31 January 2020: Tasos Xepapadeas and Roberto Patuelli have given lectures at the EAERE-ETH European Winter School, in Ascona, Switzerland. Tasos Xepapadeas was also the School’s coordinator for this edition, focused on the topic “Spatial Environmental and Resource Economics”. Link to the program: https://eaere-eth-european-winter-school.ethz.ch/
  • 3-5 February 2020: Francesca Fauri organized an educational trip to Bruxelles for 23 students (EMI and SID) funded by the Jean Monnet Chair and by the DSE.
  • 18 February 2020: Luca Lambertini participated to a meeting entitled “La terra in testa. Idee, ricerche e testimonianze su un attivismo giovanile inedito”, which took place at the library of the legislative Assembly of the Emilia-Romagna Region, within the fourth edition of the festival “Specialmente in biblioteca”. Link to the program: https://owncloud.cittametropolitana.bo.it/index.php/s/4obHbeUNLtQRH1u.

 

CONFERENCES/WORKSHOPS

  • 10-11 January 2020: the DSE hosted the workshop entitled “Political Economy Workshop on Elections, Democracy and Populism”, organized by Enrico Cantoni e Giovanni Prarolo, within the project ALMAIDEA developed by Giovanni Prarolo as the principal investigator. Link to the program: http://www.dse.unibo.it/it/eventi/political-economy-workshop.
  • 11 January 2020: the “Jindal - Bologna Joint Workshop on Regulatory Economics and Governance” has taken place at Jindal Global University (JGU) in India. Luigi Franzoni, Andrea Mantovani, Lucio Picci and Giuseppe Pignataro have participated to the workshop, as part of an ongoing collaboration between the DSE and JGU. The faculty members have had the opportunity to visit the campus of JGU, a top-ranked India university, and to interact with local faculty and students. The Vice Chancellor of JGU has welcomed the Bologna guests and has expressed great enthusiasm for this collaboration. Link to the program: https://completejusticepodcast.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/Jindal+-+Bologna+Joint+Workshop+on+11th+February+2020.pdf.